Ministry of Foreign Affairs RSFSR
|employees = |child1_agency = |website = http://www.mfasr.sr }} The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian SFSR (Russian: Министерство иностранных дел РСФСР), formed on 08 November 1917, is one of the most important government offices in Soviet Russia. It was known as the People's Commissariat for Foreign Affairs (Russian: Народный комиссариат по иностранным делам), or Narkomindel, until 1946. Every leader of the Ministry is nominated by the Premier of the Council of Ministers and confirmed by the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet, and is a member of the Council of Ministers. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs negotiate diplomatic treaties, handle Soviet Russia foreign affairs along with the International Department of the Central Committee and aid in the guidance of international communism and other strong themes of Soviet Russian policy. As many other Soviet Russian agencies, the MFA has an inner-policy group known as the Collegium, made up of the minister, the two first deputy ministers and nine deputy ministers, among others. Each deputy minister usually head his own department. Duties and responsibilities The primary duty of the foreign ministry is directing the general line of Soviet foreign policy. The MFA represents the country abroad and participates in talks with foreign delegations on behalf of the Soviet Russian government. It also appoints diplomatic officers, with the exception of Soviet Russian ambassadors, who are appointed by the Council of Ministers. The MFA is responsible for taking care of the RSFSR's economic and political interests abroad, although economic interests are also the joint responsibility of the Ministry of Foreign Trade. The Ministry of Culture works jointly with the MFA in regards to the protection of Soviet Russian citizens abroad, the exercise of overall Soviet Russian consular relations abroad and the promotion of Soviet Russian culture abroad. A less visible duty of the MFA was its role in the coordination of Soviet intelligence operations abroad. Exit visas were issued by the MFA as well as passports issued to Soviet Russia citizens. Organisation and structure The inner policy making group of the ministry is the Collegium. The members of the Collegium were usually the minister, the two first deputy ministers, the nine deputy ministers, a chief of the general secretariat and fourteen other members. In total there are actually 27 members of the Collegium. Each deputy minister is responsible for a department. The remaining members controlled either a department or an administrative body of the ministry. A Collegium in the RSFSR is, in many ways, the same as collective leadership. The Collegium coordinates decision making regarding the allocation of specific tasks on the basis of the MFA's policy. This body is expected to review new directives ordered by the minister and note their successes and failures. Main task of the Collegium is to set goals for improving diplomatic relations and creating "decent, human, material and spiritual living conditions for all nations". Furthermore, the Collegium notes that the improvements in international efforts "to save the world" is the best "class notion of socialism." A Soviet Russian textbook describes MFA's organisation and structure as follows: "An important branch of the central apparatus, from the point of view of day-to-day operational diplomatic guidance, is the executive diplomatic division. The nature of activities engaged in by these divisions is determined by their territorial and functional characteristics. Territorial departments handle questions of foreign relations with specific groups of states. These groups of countries are divided by regions." Structure Ideology and policy-making Ideology is a key component of Soviet Russian foreign policy. Soviet Russian diplomacy is built on the ideas of Russian Socialism, what means that compromise is an important element in foreign diplomacy and MFA looks for peaceful coexistence with the capitalist powers. A primary goal of the emphasis placed on coexistence and compromise is to "prevent other powers from attacking the RSFSR". Therefore, certain agreements with the western powers in the interest of socialism could sometimes be reached. According to an unknown former director of the Moscow State Institute of International Relations, all successful diplomatic activities by the Soviet Russian side are based on the principles of socialism and the Soviet Russian evaluation of other countries in certain fields, such as social development. The Directorate for Planning Foreign Policy Measures, an organ of the MFA, analyses international relations and try to predict future events, although it never plans the policy of the MFA. The MFA uses much more of its human and financial resources for propaganda purposes and so-called "active measures" than other non-Soviet Russian affiliated foreign ministries. This includes dissemination of views supported by the Soviet Russian government, harassment, censorship, radio jamming, forgeries and general information to support "ideological confrontations" with non socialist powers. Because of this, Soviet Russian MFA has a higher budget than its counterpart non-Soviet ministries. Category:Soviet Russia Category:Politics Category:Politics of Soviet Russia Category:Foreign relations of Soviet Russia